


Guileless Guides

by 263Adder



Series: The Master's Maniacal Misadventures [1]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Rated for swearing, Reader-Insert, only mild, reader - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:14:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24665968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/263Adder/pseuds/263Adder
Summary: It started small. The Master began to regularly ask whether you needed to eat something, either making stops at restaurants or ensuring the TARDIS kitchen was fully stocked. Next, he’d discovered your idiosyncrasies, learning which meals you loved and what you liked to do after a stressful day. It was only when he sat you in front of your favourite film with a blanket thrown over your knees to smother the chill leftover from your adrenaline-packed day, that you finally noticed the lengths the Master went to in order to care for you.
Relationships: The Master (Dhawan)/Reader, The Master (Doctor Who)/Reader
Series: The Master's Maniacal Misadventures [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1728085
Comments: 23
Kudos: 73





	Guileless Guides

**Author's Note:**

> Why did I decide to make all of my titles alliterative, I feel like I spend longer thinking of a title than I do writing the story.

It started small. The Master began to regularly ask whether you needed to eat something, either making stops at restaurants or ensuring the TARDIS kitchen was fully stocked. When your eyes drooped, he noticed and ushered you to bed, when, before, it would have taken you fainting from exhaustion for him to remember humans needed regular sleep. At first you didn’t think much of it, just that he was finally adapting to having a human around.

Next, he’d discovered your idiosyncrasies, learning which meals you loved and what you liked to do after a stressful day. It was only when he sat you in front of your favourite film, which you were sure you’d never mentioned before, in the TARDIS’ screening room which you had never even known existed, with a bowl of your favourite snacks at your elbow and a blanket thrown over your knees to smother the chill leftover from your adrenaline-packed day, that you finally noticed the lengths the Master went to in order to care for you.

How did he know all of these things? And why was he being so nice? He was never nice. Especially to humans. Slightly unnerved, you lifted the bowl as subtly as you could manage and sniffed it lightly. Maybe he’d gotten sick of you and was trying to bump you off?

“What are you doing?” The Master said, looking at you curiously.

“Nothing.” You responded quickly, seizing a handful of candy and shoving it in your mouth.

“Is there something wrong with it?”

You shook your head, keeping your eyes on the opening scene.

Letting it drop, the Master did the same – scrutinising your favourite film with an intensity you found a little nerve-wracking. You hadn’t expected him to stay throughout its duration, given his dismissive attitude towards human culture. Yet he made it through the entire film without making any critical or derogatory remarks and even praised it at the end.

“Seriously?” You asked incredulously.

“It was enjoyable.” He stated.

Looking at him like he’d suddenly sprouted a second head, you slowly got up from the couch and headed to your bedroom, not taking your eyes off him as you backed away.

“What?” He called out, bewildered.

For the next few weeks, things progressed relatively normally. The Master took you across the universe, throughout the centuries, the millennia – finding trouble wherever he went. Since you’d joined him, he’d overthrown monarchies, been worshipped as a God by a planet he conquered one afternoon, robbed banks with more security than a medieval fortress and destroyed stars for the pure fun of it. He had even sent the Doctor a series of spam texts, advertising anti-ageing face cream and shapewear, from a phone he’d stolen off an old friend of hers. You’d both gotten a kick out of that prank, imagining her bewildered response.

It was everything you expected from him, but between it all, was the unexpected. He continued to care for you in a way you could never have predicted. He would occasionally forget about you in the chaos he caused, though never long enough for you to come to serious harm; the Master always appeared in the nick of time to stop you making a deadly mistake.

Perhaps he was taking his description of you as his pet too seriously. You decided that when he started keeping snacks in his coat pockets, handing them to you when your stomach rumbled or he realised how many hours you’d gone without food.

“Here.” He would say, the only warning he gave before throwing a packet at your face. Most times you would catch it but a few times you had failed, the Master roaring with laughter at your startled expression as it hit you squarely on the forehead.

It never failed to perplex the aliens around them, when the man poised to wipe them from existence would stop mid-threat to throw his human a snack. The only person more confused was you. The first few times it has happened, you hadn’t known what to think. You’d interpreted it as a barb; giving his pet a treat for behaving to further solidify his stature in front of others. It was only when he continued to do it when you were alone, wandering around a planet that you realised he did it out of genuine concern for your health. Instead of a scowl, you started to receive them with a smile.

“Thank you.” You beamed, sighing happily as you bit into the bar he passed you during one of your adventures. You’d been hiking through a forest for what felt like hours and your stomach had barely protested when the Master glanced at his watch, dug through his pocket and produced the snack.

“Well,” he shrugged, dismissing his own act of kindness, “a growling stomach is distracting and I need to focus or we’ll never find the temple.”

“What are these, they’re so good?” You asked, taking another bite.

“I got them at a market in Olara. They’re fine for human consumption.” He added.

“Don’t worry, I don’t think you’re trying to poison me.” You chuckled. At least you didn’t think so anymore. “I just like them is all.”

He grinned, buoyed by your response. “I can go get more if you enjoy them so much?”

“That would be good,” you said tentatively, still uncomfortable about asking the Master for things, “but don’t go out of your way on my account.”

“I have a time machine, love. I can get us there in less than a minute.”

Conceding, you asked why they hadn’t landed at the temple instead of – what seemed like – tens of miles away.

“It’s well guarded. They have sensors capable of tracing alien technology. It was best to come in on foot. Why? You’re not tired yet, are you?” He frowned. “You should be fine for another fourteen hours.”

“No, I’m fine.” You said. Suddenly it occurred to you what he has just said. After a moment, trying to work out what he meant, you asked, “How did you work out fourteen hours?”

“Humans require, on average, eight hours sleep.” He replied readily. “You’ve been awake for two hours already and you’re accustomed to a twenty-four-hour time period. _Therefore_ it should be fourteen hours until you require another sleep cycle.”

Furrowing your brow, you turned over his words as you walked further, continuing to munch on your snack. Once you were done, you paused. Your dress had no pockets and there were no bins in the forest, leaving you with a wrapper and nowhere to put it.

“Why have you stopped?” The Master asked impatiently when he noticed the absence of your footsteps crunching through the leaves behind him. When he turned, you held up the wrapper.

Rolling his eyes, he snatched it from you and threw it on the ground.

“We’re the bad guys, pet. Remember?”

Taking your hand to keep you moving, he continued to lead you through the forest.

“When did you learn so much about ‘human sleep cycles’? When I first moved into the TARDIS, you kept me up for nearly three days.”

“Yes, and you lost consciousness.” He recalled. “It would be unwise to allow that to happen again; if we hadn’t been in the TARDIS at the time you could have ruined my plans.”

“So you researched how much sleep humans need?”

Reluctantly he admitted that, “It seemed prudent.”

You both continued to walk. While you did, you continued to think. Eventually, you asked, “So what else did you research?”

He glanced at you from the corner of his eyes before fixing his gaze on the trail ahead. “What makes you think I researched anything else?”

“The snacks.” You stated.

After a pause, he conceded, “Hunger can cause your species to expire as well. Another logical step was to ascertain when that would become a risk. Honestly, I’d known humans were fragile, but I hadn’t fully comprehended how delicate your physiology was. The slightest thing can upset it and cause complete failure of the system. It’s sad really.”

Humming, you continued to regard him critically. “Movie nights?”

Without missing a beat, he replied, “Your species is also psychologically weaker. If not tended correctly, it can lead to physiological vulnerability.”

You grinned broadly – finding this entire revelation hilarious – and the Master scowled back. He didn’t let go of your hand though, not until you arrived at the temple. The foliage thinned out as you approached, the temple towering over the forest. It was an impressive building to behold. When the Master had said you were going to a temple, you had expected an old, stone structure – like something you would see in an Indiana Jones film. Instead, it was all smooth steel, curved corners, wide windows, gleaming in the overhead sun.

Despite landing the TARDIS far away, the inhabitants had still detected alien technology and had expected your arrival. You were both quickly surrounded and led into the building, down to their jail cells. The Master didn’t put up a fight, but you knew he must already have a plan formed.

You were thrown into a cell together. Thrown in the literal sense. The Master cushioned your fall to the ground, and you both watched resignedly as the solid steel door was shut. They left you in a compact box room, smooth metal walls towering over you without a single window to look out of.

“Cosy.” The Master grunted, still beneath you.

Scrambling up, you had to agree with his assessment. There wasn’t much space for two people. It was barely long enough for the Master to lie out straight and just wide enough for you to stand side by side. You were already starting to feel claustrophobic, and you’d barely been in there for a minute.

Trying not to panic as you pressed your hands against the dauntingly solid walls, you asked, “You have a plan, right?”

“Of course.” The Master scoffed as he gracefully rose to his feet. Carefully, he took off his jacket and folded it up. Using it as a pillow, it cushioned his back when he sat against the wall.

You looked down at him dumbly.

“Why are you sitting down? What are you doing? Why aren’t you getting us out?”

He glanced up at you, infuriatingly calm as he told you, “Oh, we’re not getting out yet. We have to wait for the guards to change shift – the entire plan hinges on it.”

“You mean you wanted us to get caught?”

“Yes.”

“Then why did you make us walk all that way!” You complained.

“I couldn’t risk them taking the TARDIS into their collection. We need it where it is for a smooth getaway.” The Master explained. “Now sit down or you’ll wear yourself out prematurely.”

“If you didn’t want me to get tired, you shouldn’t have made me walk so far.” You grumbled.

He raised his eyebrows at you, more amused than anything by your reaction, before patting the ground beside him. As sulkily as you could, you dropped to the floor.

“There we go.” He praised. You glared back. Bumping your shoulder with his, he grinned at you and, begrudgingly, you gave smiled back.

“Are you comfortable enough?” He asked. “You can have my jacket if you like?”

You studied him curiously. His offer seemed sincere yet, coming from him, it sounded ridiculous. If he was here with anyone else, he’d be trying to make them as _uncomfortable_ as possible. That was if he hadn’t killed them outright. Why was he treating you so kindly? It made no sense.

“You’re acting really weird. Do you know that?”

He didn’t need to ask why you found his behaviour strange. Instead, he said, “I only want to make sure my pet is well.”

“I’d be better if I wasn’t stuck in a room that’s barely wider than a coffin.” You moaned, glancing around at your surroundings again. It really was a grim room. Luckily, you weren’t alone in it; it would have been harder not to panic without the Master’s there. Even with him beside you, you needed to take a deep breath, trying to ground yourself. The height of the walls somehow emphasised even further the narrowness of the space. It really did feel as though the room would come down on you.

Unexpectedly, the Master looped his arm around your shoulders and pulled you into his side. You went easily, the smooth metallic floor leaving you little purchase to do otherwise. Once he had you where he wanted you, he slackened his hold slightly.

“What are you doing?” You asked gently, keeping your tone light so he wouldn’t think you wanted him to release you. “You hate hugs.”

“I’ve never said that. Besides. Humans require physical comfort for their wellbeing.” He said, his words followed by a long-suffering, overly dramatic sigh. His contrived appearance of suffering was undercut as he placed his other arm around your waist, pulling you flush against his side.

You chuckled, wrapping your arms around his midsection. “True. Another part of your research?”

“It might have come up.” He said, keeping his answer vague.

He kept a hold of you until it was time to enact his plan. By the time you fled the temple, his TCE taking the pair of you directly to the TARDIS once you were away from the alien’s teleportation dampener, he had the technology he wanted and you had a burn covering your upper arm. The inhabitants hadn’t taken the theft lightly, shooting some kind of laser beam after the pair of you. As the slower runner, you had been seen as the easier target and, despite the Master’s attempts to shield you, they’d succeeded in winging you.

As soon as you arrived aboard the TARDIS, the Master threw the switches on the console to take you both off the planet before dragging you towards the medbay.

Glancing at the wound, you didn’t think the burn looked too bad – your skin was left an angry red with blisters forming in some patches, but the skin didn’t seem broken – yet the Master rushed you along like you were gasping your last breaths.

“I’ll get you something for the pain, then I’ll treat it.” He said, slamming the medbay doors open.

“It doesn’t hurt that much.” You assured him, watching as he yanked open the drawers to collect supplies. “It just feels a little itchy.”

“You might be in shock.” He disagreed.

During the few months you’d been travelling together, you’d had a few injuries before. While the Master had tended to them, when the severity necessitated it anyway, you had never seen him act with such speed.

His movements calmed once his hands landed on you though, gently ushering you onto the bed. He gave you something to drink first, promising it would numb any pain, before rubbing a balm over the wound and wrapping it up once he was done.

You watched him as he worked and were surprised when he affectionately rubbed your cheek as he finished. “There we go. I’ll change your bandages in the morning. It should only take a few days to heal. Just let me know if it hurts and I can help.” The Master said as he pulled away, his hand dropping back to his side. He cleared up the mess he had made of the medbay while gathering the things he needed.

“Thank you.” You said, hopping off the bed. “You didn’t need to go to so much trouble though. It really didn’t hurt that much.”

“Humans are fragile.” He muttered, mostly talking to himself.

Slowly, you left him to it, wanting to rest after everything that had happened.

The next day, when you wandered into the console room wondering what was on the agenda, the Master had already decided you were taking it easy. He would do some upgrades on the TARDIS and encouraged you to rest up.

“There are some rooms I fancy modifying,” he explained, “I haven’t done that in a while. Why don’t you go to watch a film while I work?”

You raised an eyebrow, wondering if he was really trying to mollycoddle you.

Honestly, though, a slow day did sound nice. You could watch some films, spend time in the library, maybe have a nap.

“Okay.” You agreed. “Will I see you?”

While his presence had surprised you the last time you had watched a film aboard the TARDIS, you had quite enjoyed having him there. Even if you did briefly wonder if he was trying to poison you.

“Maybe later.” He replied, not noticing how your face dropped as he’d already turned to the console. “Enjoy yourself.”

You slouched off into the heart of the TARDIS. Initially, you headed for the film room but stopped halfway there. If he was planning to catch up with you later, you should save the film until then so you could watch it together. In the meantime, you headed to the library. Before you’d started travelling with the Master, you had enjoyed spending long afternoons with your nose buried in a book. You hadn’t had much time to yourself since coming aboard, and decided it would be a pleasant way to spend the next few hours.

You rarely went into the TARDIS library. The Master spent a lot of time in there when you weren’t running around causing chaos, so you tended to avoid it, not wanting to disturb him. Since you knew he would be busy however, you didn’t see the harm in going today. Plus, he had never explicitly told you that you couldn’t go in there before.

Looking around, you found the range of choice overwhelming, bookshelves towering towards the ceiling, organised in a language the TARDIS wouldn’t translate for some reason. How were you meant to find anything?

Feeling lost, you glanced around until a light emerged down one of the stacks.

One of the wall sconces had inexplicably brightened, its intensity growing and fading several times to ensure it captured your attention. It seemed the TARDIS was taking pity on you, guiding you towards books you could read.

Heading down the stack, you saw all the titles were in English, or at least in languages the TARDIS was translating. There were some books you recognised from your time on Earth, others you had never heard of.

Still overwhelmed by the choice on offer, you grabbed the first book you liked the look of. It was a pretty hardback, wrapped in purple leather and etched with gold swirls.

There were several places to sit, but you were quickly drawn to the large couches in front of the fireplace. It seemed the Master often sat there too, as there were sheets of paper strewn on the tables around them and several books which hadn’t been returned to their proper places. You looked at them idly as you sat down, unable to imagine any of them would interest you. As suspected, most of them were in the language you only saw around the TARDIS and, whatever titles you could read, described dreary scientific theories.

You were about to settle in, the glow of the fireplace already comfortably warming you, when your eyes caught on the last title left the inspect.

Dropping the book in your hand, instantly losing interest in it, you plucked up a bright blue paperback, its title in large block letters stamped along its spine.

“What the fuck?” You muttered to yourself, flicking it open and examining its contents with growing horror. After running over your eyes over several pages, you snapped it shut and regarded the cover again.

‘ _Humans: An Introductory Guide to Care and Maintenance_ ’

Yes, that’s what you thought it said. Your face burned as you realised the Master had been reading this with you in mind. He must have done.

He made no secret of how lowly he thought of your species, regaling you with stories of former conquests over other humans and once your entire planet. If he felt the need to read this, you thought, he must think you were truly useless. He didn’t even think you could care for yourself!

Turning it over, you read the blurb.

‘ _Commonly regarded as one of the most fragile inhabitants of a level five planet, human physiology requires careful maintenance to ensure they live the fullest of their, comparatively, short lifespans. In this guide, we will cover aspects of human physiology and psychology, examining their various needs and desires, as well as analysing their customs. If you have found yourself in the care of a human, perhaps receiving them as visitors to your home world, then this is the book for you!_ ’

‘ _Part Seven of our_ Preserving Endangered Species _series._ ’

Looking back at the cover, you made a point of memorising the author’s name. If you ever ran into them, you were determined they would receive a swift punch to the nose. Perhaps, if you could bring yourself to talk to the Master after this humiliation, you could ask him to find them for you. 

Slumping in your seat, you opened the book and began to read. By the time the Master found you, you were nearly halfway through, feeling incandescent with rage.

“Pet.” He called out as he wandered into the library. “Are you in here?”

You didn’t look up. Your eyes flew from word to word, unable to stop no matter how much the content offended you to your very core. Even listening to the Master’s rants about your species hadn’t prepared you for _this_. The author wrote like they were observing a wild animal out in nature. It was so clinical, detached of all respect, and showing no courtesy to its subject matter. It lay every aspect of human life bare, from grooming habits to common and uncommon sexual proclivities. Both sections had left you a spectacular shade of scarlet, as a powerful mixture of rage and embarrassment coursed through you.

“There you are.” The Master said when he spotted you on the couch. “I thought you’d be in the screening room.”

The next chapter was on human reproduction and you nearly squeaked at the diagrams detailing how the human body changes during pregnancy. While you’d seen similar things in school, the idea of aliens casually looking over this made you feel oddly exposed.

“Pet?” He prodded, confused when he got no response. “What are you reading?”

You glanced up at him, wide eyes narrowing as you focused on him, teeth clenched so tightly you almost bared them with a growl. When you felt your lip curl, you restrained yourself; the section on identifying human emotions was too fresh in your memory. You didn’t want to give the author the satisfaction of being right on his theory that human anger shared striking similarities to Earth’s other animals, with displays of unfettered aggression. _The nerve_. You were starting to think the author deserved an injury more severe than a punch to the face.

When the Master caught sight of the book in your hands, for just a split second, you could have sworn he blanched. When he dropped into the chair beside you however, he was perfectly composed.

“I would have thought,” he drawled, “even _rudimentary_ human schools would have covered your species’ biology. Are they so inept you have to do your own supplementary research?”

His words added insult to injury, and you could no longer repress your snarl.

Even in the depths of your anger, you knew better than to antagonise the Master, but you knew if you stayed there you’d lose the ability to remain sensible. Jumping up from the couch, you stalked away, throwing the book to the ground with disdain.

Before you got far, his hand encircled your wrist and held you firm when you tried to wrench yourself free.

“Let go!” You shouted, twisting in his grip. No matter how much you pulled against him, you couldn’t get away from his hold. Undoubtedly, he’d think this was further evidence of your human frailty. 

“Just wait a minute.” He yelled back as you continued to struggle.

“Why? So you can insult my species some more?” You growled. “I don’t think so!”

“You’re right.” The Master replied, trying to calm himself so he wouldn’t provoke you further. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

Turning your head away so he wouldn’t see the tears building up in your eyes, you cursed at your frustrating tendency to cry when angry. You tried to blink them away.

“And what particular insult to my species are you referring to?” You said thickly.

“I’m trying!” He bellowed, making you flinch. “Fuck, sorry.”

Raising his free hand, the Master placed it on your uninjured shoulder – more gently than the other hand on your wrist, still keeping you in place – and tried to turn you to face him. You resisted the pressure and, unexpectedly, he didn’t push any further.

“Please. I’m _trying_.”

“That book is you trying? It’s terrible! I mean, did the person who wrote it even meet a human before?” You exclaimed. “God! What were you doing? Looking for more ways to offend me? Were you running out of material?”

“I was trying to figure out how to look after you!”

You flinched again as his voice reverberated around the room.

“In case you haven’t noticed, I have travelled alone for a very long time. And _never_ with a human. Fuck, even when I was married to a human we didn’t travel together…”

Married? You opened your mouth to ask, but he ploughed ahead.

“… how am I supposed to know what to do with you? Within a week I’d nearly killed you. I didn’t know how much sleep you needed, how often you needed to eat.”

“You lived on Earth for nearly eighty years!” You argued.

“Yes, _alone_. I only interacted with humans during the day, and when I did see them I didn’t exactly keep track of their toilet routines or lunch breaks. I only engaged when necessary.” He huffed. “This is unfamiliar territory for me, pet. So I did what all novices do and researched the subject.”

Your anger wavered. While you could understand why he had done this, it was still hard not to feel frustrated.

“Then why didn’t you ask me what I need?” You said. “That’s all you needed to do. Not read that.”

You jabbed a finger at the book, still lying abandoned on the ground.

The Master looked at it quizzically. “Is it not accurate? I thought I’d improved following its guidance? Am I still not feeding you sufficiently? Do you require more sleep? More time in the TARDIS, perhaps? What do you _need_?”

You would think he was mocking you if his expression wasn’t so sincere.

“Look, how about this? If I need anything, I ask?” You proposed.

“You will?” The Master said sceptically. “Because you didn’t tell me when you were so exhausted that you fainted.”

He had a point there.

“Well,” you said cautiously, “I’d only just started travelling with you. I didn’t want to annoy you.”

“Annoy me?”

“Oh, come on!” You scoffed, finally pulling free of his hold. “You have to know you have an anger management problem. I wasn’t sure yet whether or not you were going to kill me. I thought if I mentioned that I needed to sleep or that I was hungry, you’d think I was inconvenient and get rid of me. It seemed easier to stay quiet.”

“And now? Would you tell me now?” He asked quietly. The way his eyes bored into yours told you he didn’t think he would.

You were tempted to lie but, with him, it would be futile. He was a better liar than you. He would see right through it.

“No.” You admitted. Immediately after you confessed, you tried to defend yourself as a spark of irritation ignited in the Master’s eyes. “But I don’t need you to look after me. I’ve been taking care of myself for years.”

“You didn’t take care of yourself when you first started to travel with me!” He shouted at you, his abrupt yell sending you a few steps backwards until you forced yourself still. Squaring your shoulders, you glared at him, refusing to give in.

“Well,” you started struggling to think of a retort.

The Master leapt on your moment of hesitation. “See, you didn’t. One of us has to make sure you’re all right.”

“I managed before you got here.” You said hotly. “And I would have been able to take care of myself just fine, if you didn’t always lose your temper.”

A steely glint crossed his eyes as his annoyance morphed into anger.

“ _See_.” You taunted. “I didn’t want to ask you for anything because I thought you’d get mad at me.”

He stalked forward but caught himself when he saw you falter and take another step away. Holding up his hands, he emphasised with care, “I would never. If you need something, I _want_ you to tell me. Especially if not saying something puts you in danger. I won’t get mad at you for that.”

The Master sighed, suddenly appearing weary. “Look. I know it’s not the best book ever written. But it _has_ been useful, hasn’t it? Now both of us know what you need. I understand you’re capable of caring for yourself, but why can’t I help? I want to take care of you. If anything bad happened to you, especially something which could be easily remedied by food or a ridiculously long time nap, I would feel,” he struggled for words, eventually settling on, “ _bad_ , about it.”

Your lips quirked at his admission. It seemed as close as you would get to him admitting that he liked you and wanted to keep you around.

“Fine. I guess it was a nice thing to do.” You admitted. Although, when your eyes lingered on the book again, you added, “That author deserves a punch in the nose though. It really is an awful book.”

“Done.” The Master grinned. “We could even go one step further and set his entire home world on fire.”

“That’s not one step further.” You laughed, his enthusiasm was incorrigible. “That’s a hundred steps further.”

“So…” he prompted, still hoping for a large act of chaos.

“We can burn his house down.” You compromised.

“Spoilsport.”

“Shall we?” You said, turning for the door.

The Master caught your uninjured shoulder gently. “Tomorrow. You’re meant to take it easy today, remember?”

“I told you yesterday, it didn’t hurt that much. And I’ve barely noticed it today.” You shrugged.

He glanced at the bandages covering your arm. “I should have changed them hours ago. Let’s go to the medbay. I’ll take care of them.”

You were about to protest but, remembering his words, you allowed him to guide you there with a hand on the small of your back. Once you were all patched up, the Master replacing your bandages with care, he proposed you watch a film together. You were tempted to make a remark about him protecting you and your psychological weaknesses, the original reason he gave for taking you to the screening room, but you bit your tongue. You knew what his real motives were now. 

Maybe he was right, you conceded with a wry smile as you followed him along the TARDIS’ corridors. The book had proved quite useful. Without it, you might never have known how much he cared.

**Author's Note:**

> I started this weeks ago - it took me forever to finish it! I had the initial plot all worked out but it got longer than I'd planned. Oh well, finally done now. I added a reference to Olara - one of the planets in my Master/OC series - as I keep doing all this world building then never use it again, and it seems a shame somehow 😅 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this. If so, please let me know! I spend most of my time working on my book, so I'm a bit starved for comments from readers! And I love any excuse to talk about the Master and Dr Who! You can also find me on Tumblr under @263addersthetardistimes.


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